Dagger to the Heart
by Mystery Maiden 016
Summary: Set after Oh Ye of Little Faith, Father. AU because Eve does not appear. After Chloe's betrayal Lucifer struggles with the idea of trusting and working with his favorite detective again. To help him cope he brings her a gift that he hopes she won't use to break his already fragile heart.


A/N—Set after Oh Ye of Little Faith, Father. AU in that Eve does not arrive to distract Chloe and Lucifer from dealing with the fallout of Chloe's betrayal. I own nothing.

In the end it was Ella who brought him back. Several weeks had passed since Lucifer had discovered that Chloe was in cahoots with the radicalized Father. During that time he had studiously thrown himself into liquor, drugs, and sexual pleasure that did nothing to soothe his pain. He had partook of so many carnal delights but nothing brought him joy. He even felt mildly disgusted when he woke from another night of hard partying only to discover that an entire week had passed without his notice.

He had sent away the nights company and went to stand on his balcony, hand curiously absent of liquor, surveying the city that had become another torment to him. Lucifer didn't turn when he heard the bell of his elevator, having stopped looking for the detective weeks ago. Briefly, he wished that it was an assassin creeping silently behind him before he remembered that without Chloe any attempt on his miserable life would be vain.

"Lucifer?" asked a timid voice behind him. He turned in surprise when he recognized the voice.

"Ms. Lopez?" he tried for a toothy grin. "Fancy seeing you here! How can I help you?" Ella studied his strained expression, eyes going from his messy hair to the robe slung carelessly over his lean body.

"I've been worried about you," admitted Ella her doe eyes large. She bit her lip before plunging into a nervous soliloquy. "Decker's been really depressed and won't talk about you, crime scenes are really boring again, you won't answer my calls, I really miss you messing up my crime scenes, the patrol guys keep asking around for what happened to you: you know how they love to gossip, LT is thinking about giving me your personal parking spot, and just," Ella took a deep breath. "Everything is wrong." Lucifer regarded to lab tech steadily for a second, suddenly wishing he had a glass to occupy his hands. Ella's were currently wringing themselves and flapping like frightened birds.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ms. Lopez," said Lucifer eventually, moving past her to the bar. "I'm afraid the detective and I are no longer on speaking terms." He picked an aged bourbon that he was sure would burn all the way into his stomach, hopefully scorching the guilt that had taken residence there.

"You can't just keep abandoning us, Lucifer!" blurted Ella. "She's not the only person who works for the LAPD you know. Other people care about you too. Or would if you acted like they existed when Chloe isn't around." Lucifer poured the bourbon until the glass was about to overflow.

"I can't work with you again, Ms. Lopez. Not without having to talk to the detective. What would you have me do? Hang around detective Douche all day?" He scoffed into his glass before quickly downing it. "Been there, done that, it took three days to get the douchey smell out of my car. Man uses more Axe body spray than the blokes in the commercial." Ella bit her lip watching as Lucifer poured and knocked back another glass full of liquor.

"Or you could just try talking to her again." Ella moved forward and put her hand on Lucifer's arm. "Look, I don't know what happened between you guys but you both seem to be pretty miserable. You would feel better if you just made up." Lucifer looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"The detective was trying to stab me in the back, quite literally." Ella shrugged.

"But she didn't." Ella squeezed his bicep then took her leave. Lucifer stood quietly long after she had gone, turning the possibility of returning to the department over in his head. Could he ever forgive Chloe for seeing his true self and reacting the way she did despite her promise to accept him? It still stung when he thought of her obtuse attempts to turn him into something that to her, was better. Perhaps though it wasn't her fault. The detective was a good woman, committed to justice and protecting the weak. Perhaps she reacted in the only way that she could, because the truth was that he really was evil incarnate despite how much he didn't want to be.

Lucifer shrugged out of his robe and moved to the shower. Perhaps, he would give it another go with the detective. After all, there was no one he trusted more to render judgment upon him. Perhaps, if they could go back to normal she would see that the Devil was just a name given to him by a vengeful father who knew exactly how to torment his fallen son. If however, she decided that he truly was irredeemable… well he had an answer for that too. As he waited for the shower to warm he placed a quick call to cash in a favor he had never thought to use.

The look on her face was priceless when he stepped under the yellow police tape of their latest case. Lucifer felt a warm bubble of hope in his chest when he noticed that she was looking at him not with horror or fear but gladness that was quickly smothered by her always professional mask. He could still see the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth even when she started demanding to know why he was there. She didn't want him to know that she was happy to see him. He could work with this.

The case was a great deal simpler than he had hoped for. Unfortunately, their killer had left a broken nail snagged on the victim's clothing. The DNA profile had then revealed to them that the killer was a Caucasian male with a smattering of Asia thrown in his maternal ancestry. That had led to a jealous business partner/lover who had been forced to confess by Lucifer's gift. All in all it had been a nice gentle case to come back to, one that under different circumstances may have been welcomed as a vacation from the more emotionally taxing murders they usually dealt with. But Lucifer needed the emotional turmoil to help him silent the pain that Chloe's betrayal still inflicted. Try as he might to get back to normal he still couldn't quite trust her, looking beneath every utterance for the flag of a lie, searching her eyes for the guilt that would signal treacherous plan. Overall, when his favor arrived in an ornate red box he couldn't decide if he was relieved or terrified.

Chloe frowned as she stirred the soup on the stove, her mind miles away. It had been an interesting few days. She had been so surprised when she looked up from the body of her victim to see Lucifer, clad in a beautiful charcoal gray suit with an emerald green shirt, ducking under the police tape. When she had saw him for the first time in weeks her heart lifted and she felt a pleased smile pull at her lips. But then he had looked at her with distrust, like she was a stranger and Chloe remembered everything that had pulled them apart.

He was the Devil and she had tried to kill him. At first Chloe had been so stuck on the first part that she hadn't had the capacity to think about the second. Then she had worked a case where the bludgeoned murder victim had turned out to be the bad guy. He had attacked his boyfriend, jealous over an affair that had never occurred but had been overpowered by his outraged boyfriend. She shuddered as she remembered the vengeful look in the boyfriend's eyes as he described standing over his treacherous lover and making the choice to bash his skull in despite having already ended the threat.

"_He tried to kill me_," the man had said coldly. "_Fair is fair_." It was after that case that Chloe realized that if she or the world for that matter had anything to fear from Lucifer she would already be dead. Chloe thought about Lucifer's face as he stared at her, clutching the bottle of poison in one hand. She knew without a doubt that if he truly was evil he would have stricken her down in that moment or any of the times after that she was alone and defenseless against him. But Lucifer's eyes hadn't held hate or the promise of retaliation. He had been confused, wounded to his core and trying to process just how she had turned against him.

The devil wasn't evil. She knew that now and was desperate to fix her mistakes but didn't know how. How could she ask him to trust her again after such a thing? Thus when he had returned she had tried not to throw herself at him, knowing that it would only ignite his suspicions. She tried to hold him at arm's length knowing that the Devil could never resist a challenge and though she could tell he was trying he clearly couldn't let go of her actions. When she had pulled her gun to clear a house during the investigation he had flinched and searched her face nervously before plastering a smile on his face and directing her in front of him. He never turned his back on her. That hurt.

Her phone buzzed on the counter beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw the devil emoji that he had put as his contact name so many years ago. Chloe was glad that he wasn't here to see how quickly she snatched the phone off the counter.

_Meet me at Lux. I have a gift for you. _

Chloe frowned at the cryptic message, a tight knot forming in her stomach. Had she really been lucky enough not to invoke the Devil's wrath? She quickly quashed the thought, half ashamed of herself, half truly worried.

"Trixie?" called Chloe turning the heat off the stove. "Dinner's ready." Chloe quickly typed a message to her neighbor asking if it was ok for Trixie to come over while she ran an errand. Her phone buzzed with confirmation from the neighbor just as Trixie came into the kitchen. Chloe filled a bowl with steaming soup then grabbed her car keys. "Monkey, I have to run a quick errand. When you finish eating can you go stay with Mrs. Gonzales? I'll be back before bed." Trixie shoved a steaming spoonful into her mouth, quickly fanning her open mouth as she nodded. Chloe rolled her eyes at her daughter's impatience then kissed her goodbye.

It was a Tuesday after rush hour so traffic wasn't bad on the way to Lux. The club was filled with jostling people, all here to see the singer Lucifer had booked to help increase his midweek traffic. Chloe shook her head upon noticing a group of young women well on their way to getting plastered, wondering if any of them had work in the morning. Chloe stepped into the elevator and breathed deeply, glad to be away from the reek of overheated bodies and perfume. The penthouse was dark as she stepped out of the elevator, eyes searching for the Devil. She found him sitting quietly at the piano his shirt unbuttoned, revealing his toned chest. The keys were exposed and his fingers were in place but he played no song.

"Lucifer?" asked Chloe, trying to keep her nerves from her voice. "Is everything ok?" Lucifer sighed deeply.

"It was the music that first drew me here," he admitted softly. Chloe glanced around the penthouse before tentatively approaching her friend.

"What?" Lucifer ran a hand through his dark hair. He looked tired, worried, and stretched too thin.

"Its why I left Hell the first time. There's no music in Hell. Not good music anyway. Everything is used to torture there. When I heard that the humans had discovered music I couldn't resist. One of the few things I miss about the Silver City is the choir." Lucifer slowly reached up and closed the keys. "I've been trying to play for the last few hours but my heart is empty." Chloe stifled a gasp at the pain in his eyes when he looked at her. "I can't think of a single tune I want to play."

"Are you ok?" asked Chloe finally. She stepped away as Lucifer moved towards the bar.

"Not really," answered Lucifer. She expected him to pour himself a drink but instead he reached behind the bar and pulled out a beautiful red box. It was covered with a layer of finely embellished red satin that glinted in the meager light of the penthouse. The box was about six inched wide and twenty inches long, adorned with a soft black velvet bow. "I got you a gift," said Lucifer softly. "Its quite special. I think you'll find it…useful." Chloe hesitated before taking the package, her mind flashing to Pandora 's Box.

"What is it?" Lucifer studied her intently before setting the box in front of her on the box.

"You'll have to open it to see, detective." Chloe's heart fluttered in fear before she reminded herself that Lucifer didn't need whatever was in the box to hurt her. Chloe thought about the multitude of times he had placed himself squarely between her and lethal danger. She reached over and picked up the box, her fingers gently tugging the bow free. She opened the box like a treasure chest, a slight gasp escaping her at its contents.

Inside was a magnificent dagger, its straight doubled edged blade shining brighter than the light should have allowed. The hilt and pommel was decorated with gorgeous rubies, the handle laid with blood red wire. Lucifer watched her carefully as she marveled at the workmanship of the weapon.

"What is this?" asked Chloe cautiously. She wanted to touch it but felt frightened, unsure of why Lucifer would gift her this. Was it a trick? Did he just give her her own murder weapon?

"The blade is made of celestial steel," answered Lucifer. Chloe drug her eyes away from the gift to look at him. "I've already told you that you make me vulnerable. Any sod with a gun can send me back to Hell as long as you stand close by." Lucifer looked at the dagger. "This dagger is different. It can kill me whether you are here or not. Permanently." Chloe felt her eyes begin to fill with tears.

"Permanently?" Lucifer nodded, his breath hot on her face. Chloe wondered how he had gotten so close.

"It won't send me Hell." His eyes glittered. "I will cease to be. No more Hell, no more punishment, no more torment." Chloe swallowed thickly, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Lucifer, why…" she trailed off not even sure what her question should be.

"Go on then," whispered Lucifer. "See how it feels in your hand. I had it specially made for your delicate hands." Chloe hesitated but the look on Lucifer's face told her she didn't have much choice in the matter. She shakily lifted the dagger from its satin pillow and Lucifer took the box from her, eyes fixed on the blade. "How's the balance?" Chloe didn't know anything about daggers but she knew without a doubt that it was perfectly balanced if only because it had been custom made for Lucifer.

"Good, I guess," choked out Chloe. She desperately wanted to throw the dagger down but was worried of doing so too soon.

"Have you ever stabbed someone with intent to kill?" Chloe shook her head, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Faster than a snake Lucifer wrapped his hand around hers and dragged the dagger close to his bare chest. Eyes wide with horror Chloe tried to resist but he was too strong.

"Lucifer, no!" cried Chloe.

"Relax, detective," growled Lucifer, his grip unyielding but not painful. "I'm just showing you were to put it." He position the dagger over the left side of his chest, directly over his heart. "There's two techniques for a clean kill." Lucifer's eyes bored into hers. "Look at where the dagger is, detective. This is the most direct way to the heart, straight through the ribcage." He tugged on her wrist and the tip of the dagger sank into his chest. Chloe gasped at the red blood that welled from the puncture. "But you have to use your strength to get the blade through the bone and cartilage. The blade is sharp enough to cut through but make sure that you use all the strength of your arm. The idea is to get the hilt to rest on the chest." Chloe tugged weakly, horror transfixing her. "Then once the knife is as deep as you can press it, _twist_." Lucifer turned her wrist as instructed and Chloe cried as she watched the blood well from the larger wound on his chest. "See how it opens the blood channels? More damage means a faster death." Lucifer eased the tip of the blade out of his chest.

"The other way is a bit easier to manage if you don't have the strength to get through the cartilage." He angled the blade under his ribcage pointed upwards. He then changed her grip to accommodate the position. "All you have to do is thrust up then wiggle the blade back and forth. Finish with a twist just like the previous time. Make sure that you aim for the heart though or else you'll only get the lungs and we both know how messy that can be."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Chloe, horror making her voice weak. Lucifer smiled all teeth and sharp edges.

"Because I'm the Devil, dear. Evil incarnate, remember? Didn't you want to kill the Devil only a few short weeks ago?" He let go of her hand and Chloe stepped back as though burned. "I'm just giving you the power to do so." Lucifer moved to pour himself a drink. "Just don't stab me in the back with it. That's all I ask. There's plenty of renaissance artwork that tells me that's exactly the way I _don't_ want to go." Chloe shakily put the dagger on the counter, her heart in her throat.

"Lucifer, I don't want to kill you. I told you before that you're not what they say and I know that now, I was just scared…" Lucifer moved towards her again, a bourbon in one hand.

"And I asked you what you would do if I was exactly what they say. I'm trying detective, I really am but have you ever heard of the leopard that tried to change its spots?" Lucifer downed the alcohol and set the glass down. "I've told you before I don't want to be a monster. This is a solution to both our problems." Chloe's eyes flicked between the red on his chest and his eyes. "You don't have to pass judgement on me today, detective. I'm merely giving you the option, one that will actually work. If the time ever comes when I…" Lucifer closed his eyes. "When my heart matches my face then you call me here. I won't fight you. I won't try to convince you otherwise. I will face you and I hope that you'll allow your face to be the last thing I ever see. I give you my word and you know that the Devil doesn't lie."

"Lucifer," whispered Chloe, overwhelmed and uncertain how to handle this turn of events.

"You don't have to worry about being blamed for my murder either," Lucifer nodded towards his safe. "Inside is an undated suicide note written and signed by yours truly. Before the deed is done I'll put a date on it and leave it on the bar. I've already put my affairs in order so no one should question it." Chloe was silent for a long time, her eyes moving from his safe, to the dagger, to him, to her hands and back again. Lucifer leaned against the bar and watched her process his gift. His heart was like a stone in his chest, heavy and sharp but burning as though it had just been removed from a fire. He didn't want this, had enjoyed his life the last few years but he also couldn't withstand the pain of his father's never ending torture.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Chloe finally.

"Because it's the only way I'll ever know peace. How can I trust you, knowing that you were plotting against me for months? But how can I stay away? Life here is… flat without you, detective. At least this way I'll see it coming. I don't have to wonder any longer." Lucifer sighed. His hands itched to reach out to her but he knew at this moment, perhaps even for the rest of his life, his touch was not welcome. "I won't return to Hell. I'm tired of playing my father's games." He huffed a small laugh. "Of course this may all be part of his plan; giving you the ability to harm me specifically so that I would die at your hand. But it doesn't matter to me anymore. Plan or not I'm tired of the punishment. This is my choice. You are the only one I trust to make this determination. If you believe I truly am a monstrous wretch then I'd rather die." Lucifer moved back to the bar and took the dagger in careful hands before placing it back in its box. "Take it with you. Carry it always. Just let me know when you choose." Chloe took the box in numb hands before walking into the elevator. Lucifer watched her go, his eyes sad but his heart settled. For once, he was content with his path.

Three weeks had passed since he had gifted the detective with his life. They had worked several cases together, neatly negotiating the bumps along the way. At first Chloe had been distant, anxious and upset with him but eventually she had settled back into the comfortable groove of their partnership. He meted out his own brand of punishment on the miscreants they caught then tossed them aside for Chloe to take to jail. Life was fun again and Lucifer was certain that it was the dagger that made it possible. As he had explained to Linda at their last session it must have made the detective feel more in control and safer. After all, half of what made the Devil so hard to swallow (no pun intended) was his immortality. Take that away and what was he? He hadn't flinched when Linda had replied with a definite "self-destructive". All in all he hadn't felt better in years.

Chloe stared at the dagger on the counter, her mouth pressed into a firm line. She had carried it for weeks, just as Lucifer had asked her to. She had found it extremely unsettling having it in her possession yet though Lucifer had never asked her for proof of her carrying it she hadn't put it away yet. It had kept her awake many nights, turning everything she knew and didn't know over in her mind. She thought about asking Maze or even Amenadiel whether the dagger was really made of celestial steel but quickly dismissed the idea. Although Maze and she had become friends Chloe didn't doubt that Maze would kill her to protect Lucifer no matter how fractious their relationship had become. As for Amenadiel she doubted the massive angel would allow her to keep the blade if he knew Lucifer's intentions. She definitely did not want to start a row between two powerful beings that could easily spiral out of control.

Chloe looked from the dagger to Trixie's closed door, thinking of her sleeping daughter. Was Trixie truly safe in a world of angels and demons? None of the books she had read made her feel confident in her little girl's safety. Was it possible that the Father was correct when he told her that only death followed in Lucifer's footsteps? She didn't think he was doing it on purpose but sometimes people were toxic without meaning to be. Chloe looked back at the knife and came to a decision. There was only one way to know if Lucifer was truly a master of deception or the paragon of honesty he claimed to be.

Chloe waited for the elevator to take her to the penthouse, heart heavy in her chest, torn between the desperate hope that Lucifer wouldn't be home and the need to see this through. The door opened and Chloe's heart dropped into her stomach upon seeing the lights on and hearing Lucifer in his bedroom. Lucifer's head poked out of his room and he grinned broadly upon seeing her.

"Detective! Fancy seeing you here! I was just about to pop down to the party but if there's a new case I suppose I can miss a night of debauchery." Lucifer hurriedly swung his suit jacket on, looking resplendent in a sapphire blue suit with a rust under shirt. Chloe swallowed.

"There's no case." Lucifer paused, confused for just a second then rolled his eyes as an expression of understanding passed over his handsome features.

"Of course, where are my manners? It is dinnertime for you, yes? I can order something or I just tried this wonderful little Italian place. It's a real hole in the wall but it has the most _authentic_ osso buco alla Milanese that's simply to _die_ for." As he spoke Lucifer ducked into his bedroom to get his favorite cufflinks and popped them on. He adjusted the left sleeve one last time before looking back at her, his smile infectious. That smile quickly faded when he noticed the dagger held tightly in Chloe's right hand and the tears welling in her eyes.

Chloe felt her adrenaline spike as Lucifer took a step towards her. She almost stumbled in her haste to keep equal distance from him. "Detective?" asked Lucifer softly, his face a mask of confusion. The look quickly faded as he studied her posture, to be replaced with hurt and understanding. "I don't understand," said Lucifer finally. "I thought we were back to normal. I thought we were good." The tears in Chloe's eyes sparkled briefly before spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," whispered Chloe. "But I have to know." He started to ask what it was that she needed to know before realizing that whatever it was it was a moot point. He tried hard to keep the heartbreak from his face as moved to the safe on the wall and punched in the code. The safe opened and Lucifer used the motion of reaching for his suicide note to covertly wipe the tears that had escaped his eyes. He had known that it would hurt if Chloe judged him harshly but he hadn't anticipated just how _badly_ it would hurt him. He hoped that she wouldn't want to talk before butchering him like a lamb because he wasn't sure he could hold it together. It already felt like the dagger was plunged into his heart.

Chloe watched warily as Lucifer opened the safe, all of her training as an officer telling her to control his hands, to keep them in sight. She relaxed minutely when Lucifer pulled the single sheet of paper from the safe, his fingers trembling as he fumbled with a pen, trying to add the date to the paper. He started to close the safe before deciding to leave it open. There was nothing that could be stolen from him anymore. Lucifer glanced at the dagger quickly. Well, almost nothing. He had expected to at least have to fight his survival instincts a little to allow this to happen but surprisingly the warrior that he was trained to be was silent. Instead he felt very, very old. And sad. The truth was that the nothingness of death would be a mercy to his broken heart.

Lucifer set the note on his bar and poured himself one last scotch. The liquid tasted like ash in his mouth and he didn't fill the glass a second time. Lucifer slowly took off his jacket, lying it on the side before starting to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" asked Chloe's cautious voice. Lucifer tried to scoff but it sounded more like a sob even to his proud ears.

"Well I'm certainly not going to bleed all over my new suit. I just got it tailored. You can donate it to one of the charities you've been nattering at me about. Lucifer tossed off the shirt, not caring that it would wrinkle terribly were it landed on the piano stool. He faced Chloe hands uselessly clenching and unclenching. He looked at her face, searching for any remorse or mercy but found none. Whatever was left of will to live shriveled and died looking at her flat eyes. His back was pressed against the bar and Lucifer found himself grateful for the wall it created. Chloe raised the dagger and he shuddered turning his face away and closing his eyes. He had thought that he wanted to see her as his life flame flickered and went out but he found he couldn't bare it. He felt the cold tip of the dagger rest against his breast. His nerves screamed in anticipation and he couldn't hold back the gasp when he felt the hilt of the dagger slam into his chest. His eyes popped open of their own accord and he looked from Chloe's tearful face to the dagger sunk hilt deep into his chest. Curiously he felt no pain, only pressure from the force that Chloe exerted on the blade. Lucifer closed his eyes again when Chloe stepped away taking the dagger with her. She had forgotten to twist, thought Lucifer blurrily. Perhaps that was why the anguish of death was slow in coming. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and looked at the dagger still held loosely in Chloe's hand. She looked shocked, horrified, her face an open book for the first time since she had entered his penthouse today. Studying, the dagger he quickly realized why.

There was no blood on the dagger. Not a single drop reflecting on the silver of the blade. Lucifer quickly looked down to his chest, aghast at the fact that there was no wound. The dagger clattered as Chloe dropped it, stumbling away from him, looking as though she would faint at any second.

"No!" howled Lucifer, in more pain than he had ever been in. "I didn't lie!" He lunged for the dagger and desperately plunged it into his belly. No pain, no blood. He tried again and again, crying out in frustration before beginning to openly weep. He looked up at Chloe and tried again, fruitlessly, to slay himself. "I didn't lie," he sobbed brokenly. Chloe broke out of her stupor and rushed to kneel beside him on the floor her hands trying and failing to take the dagger from Lucifer. "You have to believe me," cried Lucifer. Chloe quickly took his face in her hands and held him still trying to catch his wild eyes.

"Lucifer, look at me! I believe you." He put one hand on her hand, the other still clutching the dagger.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'll find a way to make it work." Chloe shook her head quickly, tears running out of eyes unheeded.

"No, Lucifer, you won't. Please give me dagger. Please I need to show you something." Lucifer relinquished the knife easily, understanding that it was bloody useless to him for some unfathomable reason. Hot hatred rose in his chest as he thought about the angel whose favor he had called in to get the steel. The angel must have lied, given him something enchanted. Or perhaps his father had done this. If he had Lucifer would not rest until he got his vengeance. Chloe took the dagger and pulled slightly away from him, leaving him aching for her soft touch, something that he would probably never enjoy again. "Lucifer, watch," commanded Chloe and he realized that she must have said this several times. He watched in a stupor as Chloe raised the dagger against her own hand. He was about to admonish her to be careful when she slammed her hand all the way to the hilt of the blade.

"Chloe!" he yelped in sudden fear starting to grab for her injured hand but stopped, noticing that the blade wasn't sticking out the back of her hand.

"I had a prop made, Lucifer," admitted Chloe tearfully. Lucifer slowly took the dagger from her, only now noticing that the blade lacked the telltale glow of celestial steel. He slowly pressed the blade of the dagger against his own hand, watching in morbid fascination as the blade disappeared into the hilt.

"Why?" he asked finally. Chloe watched him with tormented eyes.

"I had to know," she whispered finally. "Father Kinley told me that you were deceiving me. That every vulnerability you showed me was a lie meant to make me love you. When you gave me the dagger I couldn't believe that you had really given me such power over you. I had to know that I was right to still love you and let you near my little girl." Chloe sobbed. "She's my baby, Lucifer. I couldn't risk being wrong again after Pierce." Lucifer dropped the prop to the ground and slowly wrapped his arms around the crying detective. It was a lot to take in, and a part of Lucifer felt that he should feel more betrayed, more angry but his heart, his foolish heart, was too focused on the "L" word that Chloe had used.

"You love me?" he asked finally. He prayed she didn't take it back because then he really would have to use the real dagger. Chloe nodded frantically in his arms, her sobs increasing in intensity.

"I love you so much. And I don't know if it's right or wrong or if I'm going to Hell but I really, truly love you." Lucifer stroked her hair and placed a gentle kiss on her crown.

"You could never go to Hell, love," he reassured gently. "And I love you too." Lucifer glanced at the prop. "With all my heart." Lucifer held her tightly until Chloe had cried all the tears out. He shed a few as well, his stress levels high after the roller coaster of a night. Eventually he carried Chloe to bed and used her phone to send a message to the neighbor Chloe had last texted asking her to either keep the spawn for the night or call the baby sitter. When he had her settled in bed he started to move to the couch but changed his mind. He wanted to be close to her and it wasn't like it was the first time they had ever innocently shared a bed. He ordered breakfast to be delivered and couldn't help but smile at the delivery man's face as he heard the pig like snores echoing from the bedroom.

"Rough night," he advised with a small smirk.

"I can tell," answered the man before leaving Lucifer alone with the magnificent spread of bacon, eggs, pastries, fruits, and waffles. He poured a cup of coffee and added the appropriate cream before taking it to his favorite detective. She awoke with a red, swollen face and a crow's nest of hair caused by her tears drying there but to Lucifer she still looked beautiful.

"Trixie," asked Chloe hoarsely.

"All taken care of. The neighbor is taking her to school as we speak," he answered gently. He offered her his hand and smiled when she took it without hesitation. "I bought breakfast," he said smugly. They ate in quiet contemplation before Chloe finally looked up at him, unaware of the spot of cream cheese on her cheek from her bagel.

"Aren't you angry?" Lucifer handed her a napkin and took an uncharacteristic second to think about the question.

"Mostly, I'm glad you didn't kill me," he answered. "I want to be angry with you but really it seems like a terrible waste of time. You did what you thought you had to do." Lucifer took a drink of his mimosa. "You did what any good mother would do to protect her children. It didn't hurt me," he grimaced as he thought of the emotional anguish he had felt upon seeing her wielding dagger. "Well mostly. But I do want you to be honest with me. Are we over this nonsense? Have you finally come to a place where we can move forward rather than get spun up in the details of what I am?" Chloe fiddled with a piece of bacon, breaking the crisp meat into smaller blocks with her fingers.

"I think so," she answered finally. "I accept that you're who you've always said. And I understand that I can't really judge you on what a three thousand year old book that's been translated way too many times said you did. And I understand that you've really and truly never lied to me." She looked up from her bacon, catching and holding his gaze. "Even when it meant dying. I can't really think of anything to have an issue with anymore."

"And you know that I would do anything to protect you and your spawn?" asked Lucifer earnestly. Chloe nodded, her expression open and decided. Lucifer smiled. "Marvelous." They went back to their breakfast for a while before Chloe broke the silence again.

"How are we going to get rid of the dagger?" Lucifer picked a jar of apple butter to spread on his toast.

"Get rid of it? Whyever would we do that?" Chloe stared at him.

"Because I'm never going to use it. And it's dangerous to keep around."

"We don't need it right now," answered Lucifer. "That could change in fifty years."

"What do you mean?" asked Chloe. Lucifer looked up from his toast, his expression as serious as she had ever seen.

"I told you detective. I'm not going back to Hell." Chloe closed her mouth as she considered what would likely happen in fifty years assuming nothing happened to her before old age.

"Maybe you'll change your mind," she said finally. Lucifer didn't answer, merely tipped back his mimosa and drank deeply.

A/N—Thank you for reading! I hope that you enjoyed it and I'd love to hear from you in a review.


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